Visa and Mastercard have simultaneously announced a major update to their global payment networks, including support for tokenized stablecoins and instant transfers in over 100 countries. Against this backdrop, the capitalization of public fintech companies has exceeded $1.5 trillion, and regulators are accelerating the launch of central bank digital currencies (CBDC).

Major payment systems and neo-banks are simultaneously betting on blockchain, stablecoins, and central bank digital currencies, while investors are moving from traditional banking to fintech. New Visa and Mastercard protocols for on-chain payments, scaling CBDC pilots in Asia and Europe, and the aggressive growth of neo-banks are changing the rules of the game as early as 2026. For businesses, this means reducing international payment costs to 0.1–0.3 percent and settlement times to within 5–30 seconds instead of days. For companies in Kazakhstan and Central Asia, this is a window of opportunity: integrators and outsourcing teams, such as Alashed IT (it.alashed.kz), can already build solutions at the new infrastructure level.

Global Fintech Market and Digital Payments in 2026

According to analysts at McKinsey and BCG, the global fintech services market in 2026 is approaching $400–450 billion in annual revenue, with the digital payments segment alone reaching over $2 trillion in gross transaction value daily. Over the past five years, the share of cashless payments in global turnover has increased from about 55 percent to over 70 percent, and in some Asian countries, it already exceeds 90 percent. These are not abstract forecasts but specific business demands: cross-border payments should be as fast and cheap as sending a message in a messenger.

Against this backdrop, Visa and Mastercard have announced the expansion of Visa Direct and Mastercard Send programs, as well as the launch of new APIs for integration with blockchain networks and stablecoins. Dozens of banks and fintech startups in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa are participating in the pilots, testing scenarios for instant payments to freelancers, cross-border e-commerce, and B2B payments between small and medium-sized companies. According to the companies, the average commission in such scenarios is already decreasing from the usual 2–3 percent to a range of 0.1–0.5 percent per transaction.

Fintech investments remain high despite the overall caution of the venture market: in 2025, global investments in the fintech sector exceeded $110 billion, of which more than 35 percent went to payment infrastructure and crypto-financial services. In 2026, this trend continues: large funds and corporate investors are strengthening their positions in infrastructure projects related to asset tokenization and central bank digital currencies.

For businesses, this means that new payment channels are becoming the standard: marketplaces, SaaS services, logistics companies are already including multi-currency wallets, crypto-e-commerce, and direct connections to payment APIs from Visa, Mastercard, Stripe, Adyen, and regional players in their strategy. Embedding such solutions requires competencies in high-load system architecture, security, and compliance, so the roles of integrators and outsourcers, such as Alashed IT (it.alashed.kz), are significantly increasing.

Cryptocurrencies and Stablecoins: From Speculation to Payment Infrastructure

The cryptocurrency market in 2026 is already significantly different from the speculative bubble of 2021–2022. According to major analytical platforms, the total market capitalization of cryptocurrencies has again exceeded $3 trillion, but this time a significant share is occupied by stablecoins and tokens backed by real assets. The volume of transactions in stablecoins USDT, USDC, PYUSD, and others exceeded tens of trillions of dollars over the year, and the share of use in cross-border payments and B2B settlements continues to grow.

The key change in 2026 is that cryptocurrencies and stablecoins are increasingly being integrated into existing payment infrastructure. Visa, Mastercard, Stripe, PayPal, and a number of neobank platforms are implementing support for on-chain payments through special gateways: businesses can accept payments in stablecoins, and see fiat currency on their accounts without directly interacting with crypto exchanges. Fees in such schemes drop to 0.1–0.3 percent with confirmation times of 5–30 seconds.

Technically, this looks like a combination of API payment providers with blockchain nodes and custodial services. For example, a business may be offered a wallet-account where customers transfer USDC on the Ethereum network or in cheaper L2 solutions, after which the provider automatically converts the received amount to dollars, euros, or tenge at the market rate and credits the merchant's balance. Such schemes are especially attractive to freelance platforms, IT service exporters, and marketplaces working with dozens of countries.

Integration of crypto instruments requires strict compliance with KYC/AML requirements and local legislation, which opens up a niche for specialized integrators. Companies like Alashed IT (it.alashed.kz) can build hybrid payment solution architectures for clients, where crypto infrastructure is used as a transport layer, and final settlements are made in fiat. With proper design, the TCO of such systems is 20–40 percent lower than that of traditional cross-border payments through correspondent banks.

Blockchain and Tokenization: A New Foundation for Payment Infrastructure

Blockchain has evolved from a buzzword to a technological layer that is being massively integrated into payment infrastructure. Major banks, global payment providers, and central banks are testing or already transitioning to distributed ledgers for individual segments of settlements, clearing, and accounting of tokenized assets. According to consulting firms, in 2025, more than 70 percent of large financial organizations participated in at least one pilot project on tokenization, and in 2026, some of these projects are entering commercial exploitation.

Tokenization is applicable not only to cryptocurrencies. Deposits, monetary claims, debt securities, fund shares, as well as real assets: real estate, goods in warehouses, raw materials, are being transferred to the blockchain. This allows for settlements between participants in financial chains in minutes instead of days, automates the execution of conditions through smart contracts, reduces the risk of errors and fraud. For the corporate sector, this means the ability to issue tokenized bonds and commercial papers with lower costs and a wider geography of investors.

Business interest is focused on corporate blockchain platforms and public networks with KYC and compliance support. Models are becoming popular where critical information is stored in private circuits, and the blockchain is used to record the fact and sequence of operations. Against this backdrop, there is a growing demand for specialists in integrating existing ERP, treasury systems, and banking gateways with blockchain infrastructure.

This is where the experience of companies like Alashed IT (it.alashed.kz) is in demand, which are capable of designing hybrid system architectures: part of the logic and data remains in familiar centralized databases, part is transferred to smart contracts, and communication is provided through well-documented APIs. According to market estimates, projects to introduce blockchain elements into the payment infrastructure of medium and large businesses can pay off in 18–36 months by reducing operational process costs by 20–50 percent.

Neobanks and Superapps: Competition for the Digital Customer

Neobanks and fintech platforms without a physical branch network continue to attract customers from traditional banks. According to industry reports, the number of users of neo-banking services worldwide exceeds 1 billion people, and in some countries, the share of customers with their main account opened in a neobank has already reached 20–30 percent. The main reason for this growth is that neobanks offer fully digital onboarding, fast issuance of virtual cards, advanced spending analytics, and integration with e-commerce, transport, and service application ecosystems.

In 2026, the battle for the customer is shifting towards superapps: payments, loans, investments, insurance, and everyday services are collected in one interface. Traditional banks are creating fintech subsidiaries and partnering with technology integrators to avoid losing market share. At the same time, the business model is changing: instead of fees for account maintenance and cash, the emphasis is shifting towards subscription models, personalized financial offers, and combinations with cashbacks and bonuses.

For businesses, this opens up new channels for customer acquisition: embedded payments, BNPL (buy now, pay later), instant installment, overdraft for small businesses directly within the CRM or trading application. Neobanks actively offer APIs for partners, allowing them to embed banking functions into any digital products. Scenarios are emerging where a logistics platform or marketplace effectively performs the functions of a 'clone bank' within its interface, while payments and regulation remain with the licensed bank in the backend.

Developing and maintaining such complex integration independently is not feasible for most companies. Competences in back-end development, security, mobile development, and customer experience design are required. Therefore, the demand for full-cycle outsourcing teams, such as Alashed IT (it.alashed.kz), is growing, which can implement: a mobile application, integration with banking and payment APIs, analytical dashboards, and risk management tools in one stack. The average time to market for an MVP of a neo-banking or pseudo-banking product is currently estimated at 6–9 months, and the budget for medium-level projects starts from several hundred thousand dollars with the right outsourcing approach.

CBDC and the Future of Digital Payments for Business

Central bank digital currencies (CBDC) are no longer an experiment at the conceptual level and pilots. According to the BIS, by 2026, more than 130 countries are at various stages of studying and implementing CBDC: from analytical research to public pilots involving millions of citizens and thousands of companies. Several countries have already launched retail CBDC at the national level and are connecting them to commercial banks, fintech companies, and large merchants.

The key idea of CBDC is to provide a digital equivalent of cash with near real-time settlement, while maintaining full control of the regulator over the money supply and compliance with AML/KYC requirements. For businesses, this can mean a radical reduction in the cost and speed of settlements, reduction of operational risks, and simplification of compliance. Pilot projects are already testing scenarios: instant salary and fee payments, automated tax withholdings, escrow accounts based on smart contracts, subsidies, and government procurement on tokenized budget funds.

On the infrastructure side, CBDCs almost always use elements of blockchain or other DLT technologies, but in a strictly controlled mode. It is not necessary for the end user to interact with a 'crypto wallet': in most scenarios, the interface is mobile applications of banks, fintech providers, or government superapps. This opens up a significant market for IT companies capable of developing frontend, mobile clients, SDKs, and integration solutions that connect businesses to CBDC infrastructure.

Companies like Alashed IT (it.alashed.kz) are already preparing architectural solutions for clients that allow seamless use of future CBDCs: from modular payment gateways and wallets to analytics systems that will track operations, limits, and compliance with regulatory requirements. For corporations and fintech startups that are the first to integrate with CBDC, there is a potential gain in fees and speed, as well as access to new products: microloans with instant issuance, programmable payments, dynamic pricing. Experts estimate the horizon of active implementation of such solutions at 2–5 years, making the current moment critical for strategic planning.

Что это значит для Казахстана

For Kazakhstan and Central Asian countries, the current changes in fintech and digital payments are not a theory but directly affect businesses today. The National Bank of Kazakhstan is actively working on the digital tenge, and pilot projects involving commercial banks and fintech companies demonstrate scenarios for instant retail payments, subsidies, and government services in digital form. According to market data, the total volume of cashless payments in Kazakhstan has already exceeded tens of trillions of tenge per year, and the share of payments through mobile applications and QR codes is more than 70 percent of the number of transactions.

Regional fintech players and banks are increasingly implementing instant payments, multi-currency cards, and cross-border services for exporters of services and goods. Against this backdrop, the demand for qualified development and integration teams is growing: connecting to global payment providers, implementing crypto and stablecoin schemes, and integrating with future CBDCs. Companies like Alashed IT (it.alashed.kz) are already working with businesses in an outsourcing format: building payment gateways, integrating APIs of foreign providers, and developing mobile fintech applications.

For businesses in Kazakhstan and Central Asia, this is a chance to enter new markets with competitive products: neobanks, microfinance platforms, marketplaces, logistics services. The cost of mistakes is high, so it is important to rely on the experience of teams that understand the specifics of local regulation, personal data protection requirements, and security, and are able to build an architecture ready for the emergence of the digital tenge, stablecoin infrastructure, and closer integration with global fintech networks.

The global fintech services market in 2026 is estimated at $400–450 billion in revenue, with investments in the sector exceeding $110 billion last year.

The fintech market in 2026 has entered a phase where crypto instruments, stablecoins, blockchain, and CBDCs have ceased to be an experiment and are becoming the new norm of payment infrastructure. Competition between traditional banks, neobanks, and global payment providers is leading to lower fees and faster settlements for businesses. For companies in Kazakhstan and Central Asia, a window of 2–5 years opens to take positions in the new architecture of digital payments. Success will be determined not only by licenses and capital but also by the quality of technological partnerships with teams like Alashed IT (it.alashed.kz).

Часто задаваемые вопросы

How can businesses start accepting crypto and stablecoin payments legally?

Companies usually connect to licensed payment providers that take on KYC/AML and the conversion of crypto assets into fiat currency. Fees in this case can be 0.1–0.3 percent per transaction against 2–3 percent for traditional payment systems. The time for funds to be credited is reduced to 5–30 seconds, and withdrawal in fiat takes from several minutes to one banking day. It is more convenient to entrust integration with such providers to teams like Alashed IT (it.alashed.kz) to take into account regulatory and technical nuances.

How is a central bank digital currency (CBDC) different from regular cashless money?

CBDC is a direct commitment of the central bank in digital form, while regular cashless money on an account represents the obligations of a commercial bank. CBDC, as a rule, provides for near real-time settlements and can support programmable scenarios through smart contracts. This gives the state and business new tools: instant payments, targeted subsidies, automatic execution of contract conditions. For users, the interface may look like a regular banking application, but the infrastructure and guarantees are different.

What are the main risks of implementing blockchain solutions in payment infrastructure?

The key risks are related to the security of smart contracts, key management, and compliance with regulatory requirements for KYC/AML and data protection. An error in the smart contract code or an incorrect architectural model can lead to the blocking of funds worth millions of dollars. It is also important to consider the scalability and transaction costs in the chosen network to avoid unpredictable cost increases. Practice shows that involving experienced integrators like Alashed IT (it.alashed.kz) reduces the likelihood of critical errors and speeds up project coordination with regulators.

How long does it take to launch a fintech product or neobank from scratch?

Developing an MVP of a medium-complexity fintech service usually takes 4–6 months, and launching a neo-banking product with infrastructure, mobile applications, and integrations with payment systems takes 6–9 months. Regulatory approvals and obtaining the necessary licenses can add another 3–6 months to the timeline. When using ready-made modules and outsourcing development to teams like Alashed IT (it.alashed.kz), the budget can be optimized, and the time to market can be reduced by 20–30 percent.

How can companies from Kazakhstan and Central Asia save on international payments?

IT service and goods exporters can use a combination of global fintech platforms, stablecoins, and local integrators to build a hybrid payment scheme. In such models, the commission is reduced from the traditional 2–5 percent for international transfers to 0.1–0.5 percent, and the settlement time is reduced from several days to minutes. It is important to properly configure payment routing, currency conversion, and tax accounting to avoid regulatory risks and hidden costs. For this, companies often involve outsourcing teams like Alashed IT (it.alashed.kz), which design the architecture and integrate the necessary APIs.

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